Kiss News

by Kerr Lordygan / Rotten Tomatoes.com

You wanted the best? You got the best!

The hottest band in the world is hitting the big screen for one night only, this Wednesday, with Kiss Rocks Vegas. Members of the Kiss Army will be flocking to the theaters, but even backseat fans and those millennials who may not be as familiar with the astonishment that is a live Kiss concert will have a chance to see the legendary show from the comfort of a local cinema.

We had a chance to see an advanced screening of this blistering treat for the eyes and ears, but unbeknownst to us, the band itself was there to mingle, watch, and critique its own film, being the ultimate perfectionists one might expect. Not one to miss an opportunity to get a Five Favorite Films interview with rock royalty, we whipped out the portable recorder (which Mr. Paul Stanley himself nostalgically referred to as a vintage �Norelco�), and sat down to chat with the lead singer/guitarist/starman. Amidst exchanging inappropriate jokes with bassist/singer/demon Gene Simmons, lead guitarist/spaceman Tommy Thayer expressing the thrills of producing the film, and drummer catman Eric Singer interjecting comical banter about watches, cars and genitalia (Stanley joked that he was an interview �hijacker�), we were indeed able to get the sought after info: the movies that move Paul Stanley of Kiss.

The list of mostly fun comedies may surprise you, coming from a band that flaunts self-empowerment, adventure, and explosive (literally) hard rock. While chatting in the Dolby Screening Room lounge, Singer, for example, asked if Stanley had seen Captain America: Civil War. The answer was an unapologetic no. �My problem with all of those films,� he said, �is as soon as they go CGI you lose me. All of a sudden I go, �I�m not watching a human being anymore,� and you know it immediately. The movements are disjointed. From buying into something, I�m suddenly jolted out of it. I�m not a fan of CGI.� So what were his faves? Wonder no more, rock and movie fans, the answers are laid before you in this fine (and funny) collection of hard rock icon Paul Stanley�s Five Favorite Films:

Tickets for US Showings on sale now!

KISS fans around the world - prepare yourself for one crazy, crazy night as KISS Rocks Vegas hits up a cinema screen near you on May 25th FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY! Expect sky high flames, ear-bursting volume and a few drops of blood! Includes exclusive interviews with the band and footage you will only see in the cinema.

Follow us across our socials and here on KISSONLINE  to keep updated with the latest news, screens, and everything KISS!
www.kissmycinema.com

The helicopter descended upon the infamous Hard Rock Hotel as KISS invaded Las Vegas for an historic nine-show run. Now, for one night only on May 25, fans will be able to experience this spectacular night for themselves as �KISS Rocks Vegas� hits cinemas across the globe. From this blistering live show, fans can expect sky high flames, ear-bursting volume and a few drops of blood! Includes exclusive interviews with band and footage you will only see in the cinema.

As America�s #1 Gold Record Award winning group of all time, and that�s in every category, KISS can easily be named one of rock�s most influential bands.

Famed for their iconic face paint and stage attire, KISS was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley (Vocals, Rhythm guitar) and Gene Simmons (Vocals, Bass guitar). Their sensational live performances feature fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics to spare. Tommy Thayer (Lead guitar, Vocals) and Eric Singer (Drums, Percussion, Vocals) round out the band�s powerful lineup. Tommy is also Producer of the film �KISS Rocks Vegas�.

Paul Stanley (Vocals, Rhythm guitar)
�See us on the big screen with the awesome power of surround sound. Feel like you are in Vegas and don�t be shy �Shout it out loud�!

Gene Simmons (Vocals, Bass guitar)
�Join us for a �Crazy Crazy Night� in your cinema!�

Tommy Thayer (Lead guitar, Vocals)
�We are all tremendously proud of this production; it captures a truly unique performance. You need to see it in a cinema to get the full on experience�

Eric Singer (Drums, Percussion, Vocals)
�We rocked The Joint at Hard Rock in Las Vegas. You get up close and personal with KISS. You�re going to LOVE IT �

A select number of cinemas worldwide will also be screening the concert in Dolby Atmos, providing a powerfully immersive and moving audio experience for the cinema audience.

The KISS ROCKS VEGAS Movie Event is this Wednesday, May 25th!

www.kissmycinema.com/cinemas

Here's Tommy Thayer with the Indianapolis ‪‎KISS ARMY‬ at the World Fan Premiere of ‪#‎KISSROCKSVEGAS‬ in Fishers, Indiana yesterday.

Catch it at theaters everywhere on May 25th! 

http://kissmycinema.com/

Photo by Steve Christensen

The Los Angeles Police Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place this Saturday at Rancho Park Golf Course on Pico Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at the event. For info call (213)847-4239 or go to lapmf.org. This segment aired on the KTLA Morning News Friday, May 20,2016.

Note from Gene Simmons:

The Los Angeles police memorial fund raises money to help the families of fallen police officers. Pay off their mortgages...send their kids to college.
 A noble cause.

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, 'Wicked Lester' (1972)

By Jordan Runtagh  / Rolling Stone

Before donning their makeup as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in Kiss, Gene Klein and Stanley Eisen cut their teeth as members of Wicked Lester. Though they had only a few gigs under their belt, Epic Records agreed to fund their debut album. A disorganized recording schedule stretched for over six months, during which time they laid down an eclectic mix of pop covers and self-penned songs.

While historic, the session is an aimless mishmash of musical styles struggling to coexist on a single piece of wax. The 11-track album was promptly rejected by Epic. Even Simmons agrees it was for the best. "Wicked Lester may be an interesting collection of songs, but I don't get a backbone or an identity from it," he reflected.

Simmons and Stanley decided to start anew, joining forces with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley and forming the band that made them famous. The Wicked Lester tapes lay dormant until 1976, when the label saw an opportunity to capitalize on Kiss' worldwide popularity. Embarrassed by the lightweight material and fearful of confusing their audience, the band bought the tapes back for $137,500, and locked them away.

Wicked Lester-era songs "She" and "Love Her All I Can" were reworked and released on 1975's Dressed To Kill, and "Keep Me Waiting" was issued on Kiss' 2001 box set. But the rest remain in the vault.

Read the full article at www.RollingStone.com

Descending to the stage on a flying-saucer is a dangerous business, says the Keane-loving KISS frontman

By Peter Robinson / Guardian

Hi Gene!

Hello! I am Gene Simmons.

Great. Your summer tour is called the Freedom to Rock tour. Is freedom to rock a right or a privilege?

You�d like to think it�s a right, but it really is a privilege. We can say here in western culture that it�s a right, but that doesn�t mean anything in North Korea, Iran or other places. So, do I think it�s an inalienable human right? Of course. Does it exist like that as a fait accompli? No. You�ve got to fight for it.

When we last spoke, 10 years ago, you told me you were a fan of Keane because they were bringing melody back to music. Do you still like Keane?

I really liked Keane, I thought the guy�s voice was really great. You have to remember Keane came before Coldplay, as far as I understand it. (1) Good songs are good songs, whether it�s Abba, Keane or Motörhead. So, yes, I really liked Keane, but the masses didn�t grab on to them, did they?

They were quite big in the UK.

No, I think you�re misunderstanding. The word �big� has some value: you can�t apply it to �big in Leicester� or �big in Sheffield�. You�re either big worldwide or you�re not big. Otherwise you devalue the word �big�. U2 are big.

I would have said �huge� is a possible next step up from �big�. U2 are huge, Keane were big.

You know, you�re right. These are semantics. But I�m not anti-semantic.

You used that exact same joke when we spoke 10 years ago.

I only know five things, and I repeat them.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story

From Irish Examiner

He is known as the frontman of one of the world�s most elaborate rock bands, but Gene Simmons says he was branded a �comic book geek� growing up.

The Kiss singer said people made fun of his love of superheroes as a child because it was considered �kid stuff�, as he toured a new DC Comics exhibit at Warner Bros Studios in Los Angeles.

Gene, 66, said he felt �justice� as superhero movies dominate today�s box office and compared characters such as Superman and Green Lantern to Greek mythological figures.

He told the Press Association: �Superheroes, when you think about it, espouse the American notion that you can come from any country � even from another planet � and still scale the heights. I think it�s a phenomenal, inspiring self-motivating idea.

�The Greeks had their gods, we have ours. There is very little difference between Superman and Green Lantern and so on, and Hercules and Zeus and all the other mythological Greek gods.

�It also has this psychological Jungian theme of having an alter ego. The great pathos of Superman is he�s always going to feel like an outsider, and I love that.�

Gene, who was forced to apologise last week after branding Prince�s death �pathetic�, said that nowadays the �biggest movies of all time are superhero movies�.

He added: �It is justice because when I was a kid, we used to be made fun of. We were called comic book geeks for reading all that kid stuff, except the kid stuff is now the stuff that rules the planet.�

Meanwhile, Gene � who describes himself as an �Anglophile� � believes �no country touches� Britain�s record of producing �iconic� musicians.

He said: �This little island that is surrounded by water, that doesn�t consider itself part of Europe, still gave the world the iconic modern performers from the Beatles all the way to modern Adele. Really no country touches it.

�Even though America invented rock �n� roll and blues and jazz and hip hop, it�s England that�s taken it to the heights.�

The new DC Comics exhibit includes costumes and props from Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and the upcoming blockbuster Suicide Squad.